May 28, 2008
For the love of Lebanese food
What you're seeing here is a family of very good cooks. And some don't even know it yet.
If you read the Front Burner column in today's Extra, you already know that this is the Ferris family.
They are Lebanese members of St. Elias Church on Cove Road in Roanoke, which is putting on its 10th annual Lebanese Festival this weekend.
The Ferris family has been around Roanoke for generations. Yvonne, seated in the center of the photo and wearing lavender, is the matriarch of the family. She's widowed now and doesn't cook as much as she used to, but her daughters told me stories that made my mouth water.
One story was about how Yvonne, 78, used to spend the entire day down in the basement making homemade lavash bread in a gas oven. She told me it took hours and hours to bake the breads golden brown. And as soon as she brought the warm results upstairs, her kids would dig in, slathering it with butter and homemade fig preserves.
If you've never been to the Lebanese Festival before and you consider yourself a lover of good food, I would urge you to go. Everything there, from the stuffed grape leaves to the spinach pies to the batlawa (Lebanese version of baklava, made with rose water syrup) was made lovingly by hand.
The festival takes place Friday (noon to 8 p.m.), Saturday (noon to 10 p.m.) and Sunday (noon to 8 p.m.) at 4730 Cove Road, Roanoke.
The Ferrises shared with me a recipe for their meat pies, which you can find in the column today. But since we've been talking about hamburgers a lot (DON'T FORGET to let me know if you have a favorite hamburger joint in Southwest Virginia!!!), I thought I'd share an interesting twist on the old favorite, in honor of the Ferrises.
Pictured: Top row, from left: Terri Ferris, Maureen McAllister, Yvonne Ferris, Renee Turk and Kristina Ferris. Bottom row, from left: Victoria Ferris, Morgan McAllister, Rachel Turk and Andrea Ferris.
Mediterranean Hamburgers
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb or beef
1 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. allspice
Salt and pepper
6 pita breads
6 slices fresh tomato
Yogurt-garlic sauce (recipe below)
1. Toss burger ingredients lightly together.
2. Form mixture into 6 oval-shaped patties, about 3/4-inch thick.
3. Set burgers on a preheated grill over high heat. Close the lid and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. Turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer to desired degree of doneness.
4. Serve in warm pita bread pockets topped with yogurt-garlic sauce and sliced tomatoes.
Yogurt-Garlic Sauce:
1 cup strained plain yogurt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.
Yield: 1 cup
Source: Adapted from "Cottage Life's Summer Weekend Cookbook," 1997, by Jane Rodmell.
Comments
[May 28, 2008 12:11 PM]
Amy Hanek : →http://www.eatingaroundvirginia.blogspot.comI don't think I have ever tried Lebanese food before. The recipes you have and food you mentioned sounds very Greek. I LOVE Greek food and we used to have a Greek Festival near my house in Florida. Baklava and Gyros within walking distance - yum!
So, I guess I could say, "It's all Greek to me!"
Oompah!
[May 28, 2008 1:29 PM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Yes, Lebanese and Greek cuisine have similarities, but I'm sure if you asked a Lebanese or Greek cook, they would tell you that there are a world of differences.
If you like Greek food, however, I'm sure you'd also like Lebanese food. There's a wonderful Greek festival in Roanoke later this summer. I'll let y'all know when that's coming up.
[May 28, 2008 2:05 PM]
DanaThis sounds fun. I haven't tried a lot of Lebanese food, but I did make some Tabbouleh for an around the world pot luck once. It turned out pretty good, but I'm sure if made by an experienced Lebanese cook it would have been much better. It's a great summer dish.
[May 28, 2008 2:50 PM]
Amy Hanek : →http://www.eatingaroundvirginia.blogspot.comBURP! Oh sorry - I am so full from just eating gyros at Zorba's.
Thanks for getting me in the mood!
[May 28, 2008 2:59 PM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Dana, I had some tabbouleh that Maureen McAllister made, and it was really good. It had a lot more parsley than bulgar wheat, and lots of fresh lemon juice. Some of the girls said the juicier it is, the more they like it.
[May 28, 2008 3:34 PM]
DeborahHurray! We look forward to this every year! Thanks for letting us know!
[May 29, 2008 8:30 AM]
DennisI LOVE Lebanese food! And the festival at St. Elias Church! They have awesome food there! The same group sometimes will set up and sell their food at some of the Roanoke outdoor events. They were at Local Colors two weeks ago. For a switch, try this; put tabbouleh on your cheeseburger (or other sandwich) instead of lettuce and tomato. Yum!
[May 30, 2008 9:52 AM]
Alisha RichardsonLebanese food is my favorite! I look forward to the festival every year with the same building anticipation that Christmas time brings. Hooray it starts today! You can find me there all weekend. :)
[June 2, 2008 12:16 PM]
KathyI grew up a few houses down from the Ferrises!! I babysat for Yvonne when she and Mr Ferris went out, and Renee and I chilled out listening to the Beatles! Their food was fabulous, I remember her breads, the best I have ever had, not to mention her meat pies and sweets at Christmas. My mom used to do Yvonne's hair every Saturday, she was a beautiful younger woman and from the picture above the years have treated her well. Thanks Lindsey for bringing back great memories of this wonderful family!